More Articles

Christmas parties, families reunited and a little down time are all bound to invite extra
imbibing.

And that makes for some busy emergency departments.

A frightening but usually harmless phenomenon known as “holiday heart” is seen year-round but
tends to increase this time of year as more people have too many drinks. Holiday heart is a rhythm
disturbance, usually atrial fibrillation, that can be seen in otherwise healthy people and is most
common after heavy drinking. During atrial fibrillation, electrical signals are generated
chaotically throughout the upper chambers of the heart. To patients, it can feel like their heart
is racing and won’t stop for hours, sometimes days.

There’s no precise scientific answer to why this happens, but a link between alcohol and rhythm
disturbances has been well-documented in medical literature. Dehydration and fatigue also can
contribute, said Dr. David Bicknell, an electrophysiologist and heart-failure specialist with
OhioHealth Heart and Vascular.

During an episode, the heart can beat at 150 to 200 beats a minute, he said. Normal adult
resting heart rates run from 60 to 100 beats per minute.

The good news is that almost everyone who suffers an episode and has an otherwise healthy heart
(and is not an alcoholic) will be just fine.

True holiday heart is usually seen in younger patients. Regardless of a person’s age and recent
drinking history, an episode should be followed by a thorough exam that includes tests to make sure
there is no undiagnosed heart problem, experts say.

“In my world, I see it fairly frequently, and quite honestly, it’s not just the holiday season
that you see it,” said Dr. Frank Tice, a cardiologist with the Mount Carmel Health System.

It’s often seen on Fridays and Saturdays, “after people have a big night, after an OSU football
game,” said Dr. Emile Daoud, section director of electrophysiology at Ohio State University’s
Wexner Medical Center.

But the increase in prolonged cocktail hours during the holidays does tend to lead to a spike in
cases; thus the name.

There’s no strong data on the phenomenon, but Tice estimated that 10 percent to 20 percent of
patients younger than 55 who come to the hospital with a first episode of atrial fibrillation have
holiday heart.

Although there aren’t good studies to back it up, some doctors say that caffeine, stress and
poor eating habits could contribute.

Tice said patients often come in when they start to sober up and realize that their heart is
racing. “They’re like, ‘Wow, something’s not right here.'”

Most patients’ hearts return to normal within 24 hours. In extreme cases, doctors have to shock
the heart back into normal rhythm. Patients typically get fluids and a medication that slows the
heart rate, Tice said.

Daoud said not every episode comes after an especially hard night of drinking. Some people get
holiday heart after just a couple of drinks, but that’s less common.

Along with checking for more-serious heart problems, doctors who see patients with
alcohol-related arrhythmia also should test for thyroid disease and assess whether the patient
could be an alcoholic, he said.

For those who have a generally healthy relationship with alcohol, “I’m not telling people they
can’t drink at all. It’s just that moderation is certainly the way to go,” Tice said.